Milestone marked

A long-standing part of the Kwinana community, The King’s College, is marking its 30th birthday with a year of special events.

Established in 1986 by pastors Gerry and Maureen McCoy, King’s College had a humble start with just 17 students.

Today, it has a roll-call of some 400 pupils.

Sharon Phillips was the first teacher of the foundation class that graduated in 1990 before the college moved to its new home in Wellard in 1991.

Principal Aaron Guppy said it was exciting to see how far the school had come from a small classroom at Sloan’s Cottage.

“Our motto is ‘training for a life of significance’, it’s what we’re about, and when students leave here they make a difference in the world,” he said.

The current campus was once a pig farm before it became a school with the help of church members who made limestone bricks that are still standing.

“It’s not only about looking back, but about being thankful — a lot of people sacrificed a great deal to start this school from basically nothing,” Mr Guppy said.

“Founder Gerry McCoy had a strong vision about what the school should look like and now we’re growing, with a new administration building being built and extra classrooms added this year.”

TKC began its celebrations in February with a special assembly attended by Minister for Education Peter Collier.

Students have also enjoyed a picnic movie night and there has been an anniversary dinner for families and staff linked to the school’s past.

“It’s great to see some of the students that went through — some now have their own kids and that’s pretty special,” Mr Guppy said.

“We’re excited about the future and hope the school will still be here in another 30 years time.”